8 Steps to Make a Pig Waterer

Pigs are examples of livestock you can keep off-grid to supplement your food. They require a constant supply of clean water, but they can get messy.

Hence, the need for a DIY pig waterer where they can drink clean water without making it dirty.

However, keeping them is a bit challenging, especially feeding and watering them. Many people don’t like pigs for their seemingly poor hygiene.

But with an appropriate DIY waterer, your pigs will be as clean as possible.

We will outline all the steps you need to make a DIY pig waterer and explain how it works. Read on for details.

Necessary Tools To Pig Waterer

For you to make the DIY pig waterer described in this article, you should assemble the following components and tools first:

• Plastic barrel 
• Stainless steel hog drinker nipple (one or more depending on the number of pigs on your farm)
• Adjustable wrench
• 3/4-inch paddle drill bit
• Silicone sealant
• Hand drill
• 1/2-inch pipe thread
• Submersible tank heater safe for plastic tanks (optional)

Eagle 1656MBBG Straight-Sided Drum

8 Steps Detailed To Make Pig Waterer At Home

Pigs can easily mess around with water in open containers because they are just messy.

The water will become dirty in just a few moments, requiring you to constantly add clean water to the container.

That can be hectic, time-consuming, and inconvenient if you don’t stay at home all the time.

Fortunately, you can make a more effective DIY pig waterer using the components listed in the previous section.

It’s an easy process that you can complete in just 8 steps without prior knowledge. Make a reliable pig waterer following these steps:

Step 1: Take The Nipple Drinker Apart

Here, we assume that you have the components and tools needed to handle every step. This first step is simple and takes just a few seconds.

Disassemble just one nipple drinker if you bought more than one by unscrewing the filter end. Remove every internal component, including the rubber washers.

We are doing this to avoid damaging them later when we will need to heat the nipple. So, ensure that is done before proceeding, or you will have to buy a new nipple drinker.

Kalifuer Baimeixun Pack of 10 Stainless Steel NPT 1/2″ Automatic Pig Nipple Drinker

Step 2: Drill A Hole (Or Holes If You Have Some Pig)

A plastic barrel with a lid is preferred because it will be easier to take it off and reach the bottom where nipples will be mounted.

Unfortunately, most barrels in the market are sealed with just a hole at the top. If that’s the case, use a reciprocating saw to cut off the top section before proceeding.

Fix the 3/4-inch drill bit to a hand drill and drill a hole for fixing the nipples at the base of the barrel, about 2 inches from the bottom.

If the barrel is calibrated, position this hole between the 10- and 15-gallon marks.

The drill bit you use depends on the pitch of your nipple drinkers. The drilled hole should be slightly smaller to give room for tight threading.

You can drill one, two, or more holes depending on the number of nipples you want to fix. Remember, one nipple drinker for every 10 pigs on the farm is recommended.

That should be enough for most homestead farmers, but you can add as many as you want to meet your needs.

Step 3: Heat The Pipe Thread On The Nipple Drinker

Use a torch or lighter to heat the threaded section of the disassembled nipple drinker.

Don’t heat anywhere beyond the thread for the risk of burning yourself. It’s better to wear gloves and grab the hot nipple drinker with the wrench.

Since fire is involved, just ensure that anything around you is safe and cannot catch fire easily. We recommend doing this outside in an open place.

Step 4: Insert It Into The Barrel And Ensure It Is Snug

Once the nipple drinker is hot enough to melt the plastic barrel, push it into the drilled hole in the barrel while turning it around until it snugs.

Sober up for this operation. Your hand should be steady to create circular threads that are tight enough to avoid leakages.

If anything goes wrong at this stage, it can cost you the entire barrel. You will incur the losses and take time to buy another one.

Step 5: Once It Is Cool, Unscrew It

Allow the nipple drinker to cool and unscrew it by turning it anticlockwise. Once it’s removed, you should see nicely formed threads to show the success of the previous step.

Now, the nipple drinker is ready to be fixed and made watertight. But before proceeding, consider adding a submersible water heater rated for plastic tanks to avoid water freezing in winter.

This is not needed if you live in the tropics since water in a plastic barrel never freezes.

Step 7: Add Silicon on the Threads and Screw It into the Threaded Hole

The threads and nipple drinkers are not watertight. That’s why this step is necessary. The last thing you want for this setup is water leaks.

Reassemble the nipple drinker and put silicone on the threads. Screw it back into the threaded hole, using a wrench to ensure its tightly fixed.

Your DIY pig drinker is now ready. But first, it should be tested.

Step 8: Add Water to Your Pigs and Test for Leaks

Test your DIY pig waterer for water leakages by adding water to the barrel until it gets slightly above the nipple drinkers.

Observe it for some time for any leakages before filling it with water if everything is okay.

You may need to add more silicon if it leaks. That means emptying the barrel and unscrewing the nipple drinker.

Pro Tips: Using Submersible Tank Heater for Winter

As mentioned, you need a submersible tank heater to keep water from freezing during winter. Water rarely freezes in plastic tanks, but you should have it just in case.

How Does A Pig Waterer Work?

You may need to train your pigs to drink water through the nipple drinkers. Just fill the barrel and get to the task.

It might take them some time to learn, but they will eventually know how to drink from the nipples.

Water flows through the gap between the plug and sealing ring when a pig bites the valve rod.

When the pig stops biting, a return spring pulls back the rod to seal the gap, preventing water from flowing out.

The Final Sentences

The DIY pig waterer described here will make it possible to keep pig water clean and economize on water usage.

It’s also cost-effective, easy to make, and reliable. Just get the needed materials and solve the drinking problem for your pigs.

Thank you for reading this article at the Em Offgrid. You explore other posts related to off-grid living to learn more about surviving in the countryside.